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The Wheels on the Bus and Other Songs 60th Anniversary Edition

Jan2
The Wheels on the Bus and Other Songs 60th Anniversary Edition

The Wheels on the Bus and Other Songs 60th Anniversary Edition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wheels on the Bus and Other Songs 60th Anniversary Edition

ABC Books, 2025

24pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9780733344428

There would be few children born in this country in the last 60 years who are unfamiliar with that familiar tune that begins, “There’s a bear in there…”  and who haven’t looked through the windows and enjoyed stories with and about Big Ted,  Little Ted, Jemima, Humpty, and, more recently, Henny Penny, Daisy the cow, Korean twins Kim & Lisa Banana,, Kiya from Noongar country Diddle the cat, Scrap the dog and others who are as familiar as their own toys.  Many will even be sitting with their own children and grandchildren and sharing the adventures.

And now, in 2026, Play School is turning 60!

To help the celebrations, this is a new, colourful release which includes all the toys and all those familiar songs like The Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald Had a Farm, Five Little Ducks, Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Little Peter Rabbit, There Were Five In the Bed, Der Glumph, Miss Polly Had a Dolly, A Sailor Went to Sea Sea Sea, and  Five Little Speckled Frogs – just perfect for beginning a new year with a nod to those past. 

And to continue the fun to fill in these not-time-for-school-yet days, there are plenty of activities at the Play School website  to keep them occupied and, for those in Melbourne between March and mid-July, an exhibition where they can discover what happens behind the scenes of Play School by becoming a presenter, a camera operator, or even a director!

Apart from all that fun, it’s a great way to introduce very little ones to the concept that “print is just talk written down” as they follow the words of the songs they know already  and see those familiar faces in the illustrations.  A great foundation for developing those early reading behaviours so crucial to building the readers of the future.   

 

Bluey: The Decider

May18
Bluey: The Decider

Bluey: The Decider

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bluey: The Decider

Bluey

Puffin, 2024

24pp., hbk., RRP $A16.99

9781761344763

State of Origin in rugby league and Bluey and Chucky are watching the footy with their families. Bluey’s family is supporting the Maroons but Chucky’s parents are on opposing teams, and Chucky is confused.  Can Bluey help him pick a side?

This is a scene that will play out in many households over the next few weeks as the real-life State of Origin unfolds, and there will be those who will be as confused as Chucky, particularly if their parents are on opposing sides because of their place of birth or their loyalties. But, as in the story, there will soon come a time when everyone can be on the same team – unless you’re like my family where some of them are green-and-gold and I am definitely with Mackenzie’s family!!!  

 

Ready, Set, Big School

Jan17
Ready, Set, Big School

Ready, Set, Big School

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ready, Set, Big School

Jan Stradling 

Jedda Robaard

ABC Books, 2023

24pp., hbk., RRP $A22.99

9780733342875

Maurice has a funny feeling in his tummy – because while he is excited to be starting big school, he is also nervous because of the new people he will meet, the new things he will do and the new routines he will have to learn. But his Play School friends are feeling the same way, especially after Mr Bao comes to talk about some of the things to expect, so they all go home to practise the things they will need to do – trying on new shoes, putting on their uniform, packing their backpack, using a checklist to make sure everything is included, and even learning how to introduce themselves to new friends.  

And then it is time for THE day,,,

This is another in the excellent Mindfully Me series in which the familiar characters of Play School put themselves in the shoes of children facing common situations and offer suggestions and strategies for coping with what might arise.  As many young readers are about to take this big step themselves, this is another story to share to show them that not only will they be okay but the apprehension they are feeling is common to everyone so they are not alone. But being prepared is a big start to building resilience and doing the sorts of things Maurice does will help them feel in control. 

Bluey: Treasury

Jan9
Bluey: Treasury

Bluey: Treasury

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bluey: Treasury

Puffin, 2023

160pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781761342233

Can there be anything better for our youngest readers than a collection of six stories about their favourite television family, a collection they can return to time and again whenever they choose?

Including Fruit Bat, The Creek, Bob Bilby, The Pool, Charades and Hammerbarn they can go swimming in Uncle Stripe’s pool, explore the creek, play a game of Charades and more as they share the summer with their favourite characters understanding the endurance of stories in print and the power they have as they apply what they already know of the personalities and their relationships.  

Regardless of the basis of the story, each is familiar and each publication quickly becomes a favourite as little ones are able to “read” them for themselves.  essential early literacy behaviours.  

Where’s Bluey? At Christmas

Dec18

 

 

 

Where’s Bluey? At Christmas

Where’s Bluey? At Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where’s Bluey? At Christmas

Bluey

Puffin, 2023

32pp., hbk., RRP $A16.99

9781761046278

Bluey and Christmas – can there be a better combination to put together into an interactive book for a surefire winner for a Christmas gift that will not only entertain but will educate at the same time?

Christmas in Australia is very different to the Christmas so often featured in children’s books and other entertainment at this time of the year, and so all the things that are familiar to our kids are featured in double-paged interactive spreads that encourage the young reader to engage with them.  Time in the pool, putting up the tree, playing backyard cricket, relaxing at the beach – each has its place with items to find in the pictures ensuring little ones continue to develop their visual acuity as they look at the details in the illustrations.

 

A peek inside

A peek inside

Then if the days to wait seem too long. offer them Bluey’s Christmas Craft  so brains and fingers are engaged in making and doing all sorts of Christmassy things that can become their contribution to the celebrations. Step-by=step guides offer all sorts of things that can be made from candy cane bunting to designing their own Christmas rashie to building an entire gnome village.

 

Combined with Bluey’s Advent Calendar, this could indeed by a Blue-y, Blue-y Christmas!

 

 

Bluey Advent Calendar Book Collection

Dec1

 

 

 

Bluey Advent Calendar Book Collection

Bluey Advent Calendar Book Collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bluey Advent Calendar Book Collection

Bluey

Puffin, 2023

576pp (24 books), pbk., RRP $A39.99

9781761342240

What better way to start this year’s Christmas Countdown than with a countdown for the youngest readers of one of their own all-time favourite characters?

There are 24 special mini Bluey books from story books to colouring in, bundled together in this Advent calendar which will keep kids entertained all the way through December finishing with a very special edition of Verandah Santa for Christmas Eve. Starting with Meet Bluey and Bingo, and then Meet Mum and Dad, this is a collection for all the Bluey fans as they revisit some of the popular episodes of the television series while also being able to engage with the characters in the colouring books.  

What a way to inspire the excitement and joy of reading – Bluey  AND Christmas.    

 

Bluey: Cricket

Nov30
Bluey: Cricket

Bluey: Cricket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bluey: Cricket

Bluey

Puffin, 2023

32pp., hbk., RRP $A16.99

9781761049415

Backyard cricket is every Australian kid’s rite of passage – every summer there are games going on somewhere as the sun sets and the joys and benefits of daylight saving are acknowledged.  The rules are the same everywhere – the garbage bin is the stumps and over the fence is out!  And everyone groans when that one player who is really good gets a turn at batting because they are never going to get them out.

Bluey would much rather play tiggy than cricket and her dad says that’s what they will do as soon as they get Rusty out.  But Rusty would play cricket 24/7 if he could and despite everything they try, he remains obstinately at the crease until…

This year has been a big one for international cricket and with the ODI World Cup just finished and the domestic men’s Bog Bash about to start, interest in the game is reaching a peak, so this is a timely release. Based on the episode of the ABC series of the same name, this is another is this very popular collection of stories in print format that allows young readers to return to the story time and again, cementing in their minds the value of print as a medium as well as learning some of life’s necessary lessons – and there are several lessons in this one, not the least of which is learning some of the unique terminology associated with the sport.

And just to make sure everyone’s summer is Bluey-based, for those who aren’t so keen on cricket there is the new Bluey At the Beach colouring book as well. Christmas stockings sorted! 

The Disney Book New Edition

Oct16
The Disney Book New Edition

The Disney Book New Edition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Disney Book New Edition

A Celebration of the World of Disney: Centenary Edition

Jim Fanning

Tracey Miller-Zarneke

Dorling Kindersley, 2023

256pp., hbk., RRP $A65.00

9780241573686

On October 16, 1923, two brothers began a company that has brought immeasurable joy to millions of people throughout the world for a century!  Those brothers were Walt Disney and Roy Disney and their company was known as the Disney Brothers Studio. 

At a time when black-and-white silent films were state of the art, Walt Disney had a vision to create “a novel entertainment that was uniquely engaging” and for the Disney name to represent quality.  Nearly 50 years since his death in December 1966, one wonders if he could ever have imagined that company being what it is today. From a young lad who loved to draw cartoons that appeared to move as he flipped the pages quickly, to his first animated image in 1927 – a rabbit named Oswald – and his belief that “cartoon animation offers a medium of story telling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages around the world” the name Disney has become synonymous with family entertainment that is engaging and enchanting with memories and moments that last long after a particular feature has ended,  How many of us of a certain generation recall that special time at 6.30 on a Sunday evening, curling up in front of the television to see whether we would go to Frontierland, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Adventureland or Main Street USA for the next hour? How many of today’s children view a trip to Disneyland as their must-have life experience?

And all this history and wonder is encapsulated in this new centenary edition of The Disney Book,  a glossy tome incorporating beautiful art and artefacts from The Walt Disney Company’s vast historical collections, with a decade by decade illustrated timeline spanning 12 pages offering an incredible archive of  all that the name Disney conjures up.

Updated from the 90th anniversary version, it includes all that has been achieved between 2012-2023 making it the most comprehensive collector’s item for Disney fans as well as those with an interest in animation, film-making, children’s entertainment  or aspirations of being the new Disney, themselves.  

For me, this is 256 pages of memories of childhood – mine, my son’s, and my granddaughters’ – so this will have a special place in our family library. 

 

Beginnings and Endings

Sep24
Beginnings and Endings

Beginnings and Endings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginnings and Endings

Jan Stradling

Jedda Robaard

ABC Books, 2023

34pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9780733342400

Swish the goldfish has died and Little Ted is sad.  But his friends are on the way to help him feel better and to remember that life is all about beginnings and endings.

This is a very gentle story about life and death featuring the familiar friends from the long-running Play School, which in itself will comfort those who are suffering a loss like Little Ted as they realise everyone,  even their favourite characters,  will encounter loss and feel sad.  It is entirely natural but Jemima, Humpty, Kiya and Big Ted have ways to help Little Ted feel a bit better and see that there is still wonder and beauty in the world.  And their advice is encapsulated in  the final page with ideas to help lessen the misery and look for the things that brighten our hearts.

This is another in this collection of stories designed to help our youngest reader navigate some of the trickier paths to growing up and with illustrations as soft as the text, it is one for all parents to have in the home library. 

A Very Play School Christmas

Dec4

 

 

 

 

A Very Play School Christmas

A Very Play School Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Very Play School Christmas

Jan Stradling

Jedda Robaard

ABC Books, 2022

24pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9780733342363

Since it first aired on Australian television on 18 July 1966, the toys of Play School have shared so many adventures with young children and now they are back to spend Christmas together at Jemima’s caravan park.  

Young children will delight in seeing the familiar friends share the joys and fun of an Australian Christmas as they take part in the Christmas present hunt and lucky dip.

And given that is more than 55 years since we first met them, this is one to add to the favourites collection to be shared and shared again, perhaps even 55 from years from now!